Uncle Hops

Bottled Lightning Co’s home-away-from-home in Newtown

Hidden in the heart of one of Newtown’s late night party pubs is a craft beer clubhouse. You’d never suspect from the sleek, clean lines of the Bank Hotel that at its core is a warm, cosy, timber-lined bar dedicated to craft brews and salty snacks. In fact, Uncle Hops is the official clubhouse for the Bottled Lightning Co. What this means is they host monthly meet the brewer sessions and tap takeovers that members get first dibs on attending, plus your first beer on a Wednesday is on the house because they know what it takes to get through humpday.

Even when there’re no official BLCo sessions on the agenda this is one of the best places in the neighbourhood for a fresh schooner of something that brings honour to the house of hops.

The kitchen prides itself on complementing the taps, with fried chicken, empanadas and burgers taking centre stage. Drinkers with more omnivorous leanings can ‘order in’ from the extensive Bank Hotel menu.

On a hot night the best seats in the house are the ones that line the terrace that looks down into the expansive beer garden below.

Perhaps best of all, Bottled Lightning Co. members can also claim a complimentary beer on arrival at Uncle Hops, each and every Wednesday. Just show up, make sure it’s Wednesday, present your BLCo membership card, and the excellent bar staff at Uncle Hops will slip you a freebie from their range.